Prostitution legal in several EU countries, but Nordic Model could change that

MEPs, feminists and police officers met today, on International Women’s Day (8 March), at the European Parliament, to discuss a new approach to criminalising prostitution: the Nordic Model.

First introduced in Sweden, the model focuses on acknowledging prostitutes as victims instead of independent workers. The model aims to get prostitutes help instead of jail time while prosecuting the “real” culprits: the buyers.

“Sex buyers are the most important link because they are the ones that have the money, by reducing the buyers of sex you already starve the traffickers,” Simon Häggström, a Swedish police officer and Nordic Model supporter, said.

According to Häggström, 99 out of every 100 prostitutes will claim to be working independently, when in fact, 80-90% were forced into selling their bodies.

Legalising and regulating prostitution can contribute to the fight against people trafficking, but more measures are needed, according to a new study. EURACTIV Germany reports.

“With prostitution, and I’m even talking about legal prostitution, we must understand that a majority of the woman are from Romania, Bulgaria, Nigeria and so on. They are not doing this out of free choice—this is organised crime,” Häggström said.

He added that he thinks the European Union should be doing much more to combat this epidemic, especially in countries, like The Netherlands, where prostitution is legal.

“We cannot talk about equality between men and women until we shut down these brothels and criminalise the buying of sex. The European Union has a long way to go because we have to speak the same language on this issue.”

Comments

3 responses to “Prostitution legal in several EU countries, but Nordic Model could change that”

Making prostitution illegal will not get rid of prostitution , it will push it underground so to speak . Brothels are controlled and health of prostitutes taken care of .
You can criminalize buying sex , but a way round it will always be found . Prostitution legal or illegal is widespread all over Europe , did we forget the girls from Ukraine that flood every European city . As often as not the police are the most prolific clients , so you can be sure that a blind eye will be turned to reasonably discreet activity .
The EU should mind its own business in many domestic areas , prostitution should be left to the control of individual nations ; or are we going to see a country fined by the EU for continuing to allow prostitution .

”Häggström looked at the countries they originally came from and found that most were from poorer areas.”
”They are not doing this out of free choice—this is organised crime.”

Rather strange logic here. Haggstrom appears to be suggesting that economic migrants are not acting out of choice. Therefore a sex worker, a cleaner, restaurant worker etc is presumably coerced if a third party helps them move from a poorer country to a more lucrative one.

Haggstrom is well aware that the Nordic Model has been a failure in his native Sweden. There is no evidence that the numbers of sex sellers or buyers has reduced and trafficking continues, despite 18 years of client criminalisation. Not entirely surprising as the US have been arresting sex buyers for over a century with no apparent effect on the sex industry.

The Nordic Model is opposed by Amnesty, the WHO, UNAIDS and the overwhelming majority of sex workers, whose lives are made considerably more difficult and dangerous as a result. And despite the claims of its proponents, the Nordic Model does NOT decriminalise sex workers. They face brothel keeping charges for working in the same building as even one other sex worker, as well as possible eviction, deportation and confiscation of earnings.

The model recommended by Amnesty and most sex workers themselves is that of decriminalisation, as has existed in New Zealand since 2003. Rather than passing laws based on moral disapproval, groups such as the European parliament need to listen to the needs and wishes of current sex workers themselves.

What about male prostitutes? Gigolo’s? Women helping physically challenged? This is not only about sex, but often also about an escape valve for those who have trouble making contact with others in this individualized, almost ‘atomized’, society.

This police officer, pretending to be a sociologist, proposes ice-cold legislation in order to engineer behavior. Without any respect or understanding of underlying issues on the side of the clients.

All blanket statements in this complicated discussion are harmful in that they ignore parts of the whole story. This police commissioner should stick to his police work, rather than advocate Europe-wide policy issues in his function as an officer. If anything, this shows how desperate the Nordics are to convert others to their beliefs. Open discussion about the merits of this Nordic system is taboo in Sweden. Dissenting voices are smeared with innuendo as if they are steered by pimps. Spare us that sort of public ‘discussion’!